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A Kansan Perspective on Common Core

Though there are many things I love about Kansas, it’s the Sunflower State’s record of defying federal imposition that gives me the greatest pride in my home state. Earlier this month, Governor Sam Brownback penned a much-publicized letter stating that the people of Kansas have a right to express their “sovereign will.” I’m optimistic, then, that Kansan legislators will move to defund Common Core and its one-size-fits-all approach to education.

Like any state, Kansas and its communities have needs that are distinct. My Kansan neighbors are far more likely to share my daily experiences than a central body of public officials in Washington. Yet the Common Core initiative seeks to saddle educators from coast to coast with uniform goals and expectations. A centralized curriculum will make education less relevant to Kansan students by ignoring diversity of every kind.

Common Core casts aside social studies and science - allocating only 15 minutes a day to both subjects combined. Social studies and science were the best parts of my education as a Kansan public school student. It was my teachers in these subjects who most inspired me to study - and got me excited about coming to class again the next day.

Moreover, they often did so by appealing to Kansas’ rich environment and history. The Sunflower State’s identity is grounded in both its natural beauty and profound past – it is one of only a few states that emerged specifically from a socio-political struggle: the fight against slavery. If we wish to protect these wonderful aspects of Kansas’ heritage, it’s imperative that our legislators in Topeka act to keep Kansan education in the hands of Kansans.

The Obama administration will, today, unveil its plan to restore federal funding for inmates to take college courses. The tool to be used is Pell grants, the main form of federal aid for low-income college students. The grants cover up to $5,775 a year in tuition, fees, books and other education related expenses.

Accountability is one of those words that seems to crop up again and again in education policy. Everybody seems to agree that more accountability is a good thing, but as usual, it’s easy for people with different interpretations of the same word to talk past each other.

Last week, Delaware became the latest in growing number of states to push for the ability of parents to opt their children out of the Smarter Balanced Assessment tests. These tests were implemented as part of the increasingly unpopular Common Core education standards, but parents and teachers alike have been dissatisfied with the amount of time and focus going into test preparation as opposed to more traditional teaching, involving individualized interaction between teachers and students.

Governor Kate Brown of Oregon has just signed a bill (HB 2655) that would allow parents to opt their children out of the standardized tests that have come as part of the Common Core education standards in the state. Parents can cite any reason they choose for their opt-out decision, and the state is required to inform them ahead of time of their options.

There’s nothing more frustrating than when state legislatures try to do the right thing, only to be stopped by the intrusive federal government, sticking its nose where it has no business being. The latest example comes from Oregon, where a bill that would allow parents to opt their children out of Common Core-aligned standardized tests is set to be passed by the State Senate, only to face aggressive pushback from U.S. Department of Education.

As Scott Walker tours the country on his campaign for the presidency, he has not forsaken his state, turning in a budget that would make important reforms in education policy. It’s beyond the scope of this piece to analyze the budget in full - it contains rather more spending and borrowing than most conservatives would like - but in the area of education reform it takes some pretty important steps forward.

As the Senate prepares to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a bill which could have big implications for the American education system, state legislatures and governors have been busy tackling their own reforms to Common Core education standards. Here’s what’s been going on in several key states.

This month the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on the Higher Education Act, which was originally passed in 1965. The primary topic for the duration of the two hour hearing was the collection and dissemination of data from colleges and universities.

Say what you will about Republican governors, eventually they catch on. Well, most of them do, anyway (I’m looking at you, Jeb.)The latest addition to the ever-expanding number of governors turning against Common Core education standards is New Jersey’s own Chris Christie

The Buckeye state is fighting back against the intrusive federal testing mandates that come with Common Core education standards. A House version of the state’s budget contains provisions defunding and blocking the use of PARCC, the set of Common Core aligned assessments that have students in tears all over the country.